Welcome

Welcome to the POZ/AIDSmeds Community Forums, a round-the-clock discussion area for people with HIV/AIDS, their friends/family/caregivers, and
others concerned about HIV/AIDS. Click on the links below to browse our various forums; scroll down for a glance at the most recent posts; or join in the
conversation yourself by registering on the left side of this page.

Privacy Warning: Please realize that these forums are open to all, and are fully searchable via Google and other search engines. If you are HIV positive
and disclose this in our forums, then it is almost the same thing as telling the whole world (or at least the World Wide Web). If this concerns you, then do not use a
username or avatar that are self-identifying in any way. We do not allow the deletion of anything you post in these forums, so think before you post.

The information shared in these forums, by moderators and members, is designed to complement, not replace, the relationship between an individual and his/her own
physician.

All members of these forums are, by default, not considered to be licensed medical providers. If otherwise, users must clearly define themselves as such.

Forums members must behave at all times with respect and honesty. Posting guidelines, including time-out and banning policies, have been established by the moderators
of these forums. Click here for “Am I Infected?” posting guidelines. Click here for posting guidelines pertaining to all other POZ/AIDSmeds community forums.

We ask all forums members to provide references for health/medical/scientific information they provide, when it is not a personal experience being discussed. Please
provide hyperlinks with full URLs or full citations of published works not available via the Internet. Additionally, all forums members must post information which are
true and correct to their knowledge.

STEVEN MACHTINGERIF he were still alive, the celebrated undersea explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau would turn 100 on June 11. On the occasion of this milestone, he would undoubtedly be asked to comment on the BP oil disaster, one of the most significant injuries humans have ever inflicted on the ocean environment.

What would Cousteau say about the spillage of over 37 million gallons of petroleum into the Gulf of Mexico, an area whose river system he explored in one of his last expeditions? What would he say about our destruction of fragile wetlands, beaches, endangered species and deepwater coral reefs?

Perhaps Cousteau would reflect on the irony that his first success as a filmmaker was made possible by financial support from British Petroleum, whose president was his wife's cousin. The year was 1953, and a best-selling book, "The Silent World," had just been written about Cousteau's explorations with his newly invented underwater breathing apparatus, the Aqua-Lung. Cousteau was not yet a true environmentalist. While he appreciated the wonders of the sea, he also welcomed the opportunity it presented for industrial exploitation.

I just got home today from visiting my brother who lives on the beach near Gulf Shores Alabama . The first few days it was as beautiful as it ever was and we swam and went crabbing like we always do . Yesterday while at the beach the oil arrived and covered the beach . Within an hours time I saw that stretch of beach go from paradise to a stinking polluted mess .

There were shrimp boats trying to corral the oil and remove it but there is only so much they can do . Very sad .

The substance will be tested to see if it is oil from the BP spill.A sample will be taken to a lab and analyzed.

PINELLAS COUNTY - Two men spotted what they think could be oil from the BP disaster off a Pinellas County beach while returning home from a fishing trip Sunday morning.

The men, Steve Weiss and David Mokotoff, said they were about four to five miles off Pass-a-Grille beach when they spotted what they believed was an oil sheen on the water.

"We saw this ribbon of orange brown material," Mokotoff said. "Steve initially thought it might be discharge from somebody's boat, but then when we got closer it was so long, even though it wasn't wide we thought about the oil spill and decided to take a closer look at it."

The men also said they smelled the substance.

"It smelled like oil, so we went back to investigate and, unfortunately, it felt like oil," Weiss said. "We touched it; you couldn't get it off your hands."

The men filled a bottle with some of the water and brought it home. Representatives from the Coast Guard and Department of Environmental Protection pick up the sample.

The agencies said they do not believe it's oil, but the sample will be taken to a lab and analyzed.

"It's green in color and doesn't appear to be oil," said Kelly Smith, a marine science technician with the U.S. Coast Guard. "But we'll be able to verify that 100 percent whenever we can get this back and have somebody actually look at it."

The Coast Guard said they've been getting a lot of calls and reports from people with similar concerns, but so far they haven't tested anything that's actually been oil from the BP spill. They said most of the samples they've tested have turned out to be algae or other plant life.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pass-a-Grille beach is about 20 or so miles south of Clearwater beach.

I was easedropping on some West Indian men, maybe Jamaicans, talking about the oil spill back from where they came from. I didn't get the whole story, but I heard one man say "Man, oil up to here (I assume his hip)." And he said, "It must be oil man, what else could it be" I fear for the whole Carribean Sea, its ecosystem and its inhabitants.

As FEMA and other government agencies prepare for what is now being called the worst oil spill disaster in history, plans to evacuate the Tampa Bay area are in place.

The plans would be announced in the event of a controlled burn of surface oil in the Gulf of Mexico, or if wind or other conditions are expected to take toxic fumes through Tampa Bay.

This practice has been used by the US Forestry service, when fire and smoke threaten the health and well being of people.

The elderly and those with respiratory problems would be more susceptible to health risks, in the event of a controlled burn.

Estimates of the rate of BP's Deepwater Horizon oil spill have varied. Independent scientists now suggest that the true spill rate, before the riser pipe was cut off in June, was between 20,000 and 50,000 barrels a day.

Since the April 20th explosion, which resulted in the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon rig, there have been more than a million gallons of chemicals poured into the Gulf of Mexico in efforts to break up the spill. The chemicals have come under scrutiny because of their own toxic nature.

It is not certain if the massive slick will have to be set on fire near Tampa Bay, but the possibility has not been ruled out.

BP has been using controlled burns as a way to contain the oil spill since the crisis began. Plans to do additional controlled burns around the well site were announced by Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen at a briefing in early June.

A couple of weeks ago, we received memo's at work regarding this, since many of our residents have respiratory, and other health issues.

With Alex in the Gulf Revving up (predicted to be upwards of Cat 3 hurricaine) I feel it prudent as a gay man to be fashionally prepared when the "Oilicane" comes ashore. Should I go with a Traditional Polo? or perhaps a vintage pearl snap plaid??

All light heartedness aside, let's keep our fingers crossed that Alex doesnt take a further turn north and take aim on LA and Drench New Orleans with goo...it would be an epic disaster.

As a South Texan I'm willing to take one for the team and for once I can say I hope a hurricaine hits Texas (and not further east).

i've heard that too Mecch. Can't find the link but will try today. It's a very, very scary prospect though. The article I read 'hinted' that there were already several plumes spewing oil from a number of cracks in the sea floor, and that the sea floor in the area was fractured beyond repair.

i've heard that too Mecch. Can't find the link but will try today. It's a very, very scary prospect though. The article I read 'hinted' that there were already several plumes spewing oil from a number of cracks in the sea floor, and that the sea floor in the area was fractured beyond repair.

They're working around the clock to figure out why pressure readings aren't rising as much as expected.

According to U.S. Coast Guard officials, the reservoir of oil could have run out, or there may be another leak.

Higher pressure readings mean the well is containing oil, while lower pressure could mean oil is escaping.

Saturday afternoon will mark two full days since BP stopped oil from leaking into the Gulf of Mexico and entered the pressure-testing phase.

BP's senior vice-president Kent Wells said the testing window is about to come to a close, and engineers should know whether the new containment cap will be a long term solution.

"Every six hours, we are going to look at everything we know and make the right decision to move forward," said Wells in a teleconference. "And so, no decision has been made yet at what we'll do at the end of 48 hours. And I can equally say no decision has been yet what we are going to do in the next six hours, 12 hours, whatever. But, what we will do is try to make the best decision that minimizes pollution and avoids risk. That's what we're committed to doing."

Engineers plan to reopen the cap, review the data collected from the tests, then decide their next step.

This is the first time in nearly three months that no oil is gushing into Gulf waters.